Waning Moon
by Saphrot
Summary: My spin on the origins of the Elements of Harmony. How they were created and how Celestia and Luna first learned of them.


Waning Moon

„Now they will love my night." thought the dark mare to herself as she strode through the great hall leading to the throne. „Now they will love me. They will have no choice." The throne was still red and golden, colors of the day. With a glow of her large horn and a wave of her nightly mane everything changed. Red turned into dark blue, gold turned to silver, rounded, welcoming forms turned into menacing spikes.

„This will do nicely, now, to my new subjects." She sat down on the throne and took her time to to find a position she was comfortable with, but could still overview the whole hall from. With a glow of her horn the large, wooden doors to the throne room swung open, making not a single noise. Beyond the doors were the ruins of Canterlot, illuminated only by the beautiful moon, those little ponies had spurned. She had shown them, what it meant to anger her.

First by defeating her older sister, when she stood against her. She had absorbed her power and imprisoned her in a crystal.

Then the ponies of Equestria had united to battle her, the unicorns tried to subdue her magically, but she was stronger than all the unicorns combined, breaking through their magic with ease and turning their own spells against them.

The pegasus ponies had tried to fight her up close in the sky, but none were fast or strong enough to even scratch her armour and one after the other fell defeated to the ground. The earth ponies couldn't even reach her, bound to the ground, only able to care for the defeated. She let them live, delighted by their misery.

She lifted the pendant around her neck up to her face. Her sister looked back from inside the reflection on the red crystal, still full of hope. Night Mare Moon laughed at the imprisoned filly. Since she defeated the ponies in a great battle three weeks ago, the last few days only small assaults had been launched. She had already won.

A smile flickered across her face as she suddenly spotted a single pegasus flying through the night sky, it wasn't a fighter, it was just a small foal. On a whim she decided to play with the child. Her large flowing mane started to envelope her features. From the whirl of darkness emerged a young, dark pegasus. She spread her wings and flew through the open doors towards the winged creature in the night sky with an unnatural speed and hid herself in one of the towers. There she waited.

She could already hear a voice, it was definitely a little filly. "Dawn Shimmer! Where are you?". She spied on her, without being noticed. The filly had a bright blue coat, her mane and tail a few shades darker. She seemed to be looking for someone. Night Mare Moon waited in the tower, watching her some more. "Dawn Shimmer?". Fear and exhaustion filled her voice, as it disappeared into the eternal night.

How should she play with her, maybe a small scare would be enough. The little filly landed at the base of the tower, Night Mare Moon had waited in, and went inside. Silently gliding, as to not alarm the filly, Night Mare Moon descended the tower's stairs. Suddenly a heartbreaking noise broke the silence of the night, the little filly was crying. The closer she came, the louder got the crying. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw her. She sat next to the wounded body of another pegasus with an orange coat and a red mane, wearing a battle armor. She was probably one of the ponies, that tried foolishly to fight her up close.

The filly cried into the pegasus' mane. "D-Dawn … please … come with me … please" Her voice rang out with such sadness, it even penetrated the dark mare's hatred towards the ponies.. Now and then the filly nudged the cheek of the older pony, whose breathing was growing weak. She must have been hiding in this tower after one of the many battles.

"Please … sister … don't leave me …" Night Mare Moon had seen enough, it was clear, these two had to leave this place. She had returned to her great form and was just about to deal with them, as she noticed something wet on her face. She brought up one of her hooves and whisked away the droplet. It must have fallen down from the ceiling. As she put her hoof back on the ground, the sound echoed through the whole tower.

The filly turned around and looked at her, a look of sadness and fear on her face.

"W-w-who is there. I … I am not afraid of you." The call rang out changing something inside the blue Princess of the Night. She took a step forward into the moonlight shining inside through the broken door, causing the filly to back away, but staying protectively in front of her sister. "I see not all of the survivors managed to escape." The older pegasus pushed herself up on her front-hoofs, her hind-legs seemed to be hurt and her helmet had fallen over her eyes, blocking her sight. "I won't … let you … hurt my … sister." was all she managed to say, before collapsing again.

The filly turned around, seeming to have forgotten completely about the presence of the dark mare. "Dawn, please, get back up, please." The breathing of the older pegasus slowed down even more, barely noticeable now. Tears ran down the filly's face as she faced the dark being, that had brought eternal night over this world. "Please,Night Mare Moon, please save her, she is the only one I have left. I don't care if it stays dark forever, but please save my sister."

Somewhere deep inside Night Mare Moon something surfaced, something she thought she had already defeated a long time ago. Her dark blue, almost black coat turned into a nightly blue and she became once more the true Princess of the Night, Princess Luna.

She stepped forward and gently touched her horn against the dying pegasus, the glow from her horn washed over the pegasus' body, healing her injuries almost instantly. The little filly cuddled up to the pegasus, as soon as the glow subsided and the princess stepped back. "Sky Shimmer … what happened?" The older pegasus was still dazed from the magic but gasped in surprise as she saw the grown form of the Princess Luna.

"P-Princess Luna, your highness." She tried to bow her head, nearly hitting the floor with it, but the princess stopped her gently with her hoof.

"What are your names, my winged subjects." The warmth in her voice let the fear melt away like the wounds before. "I am Dawn Shimmer, your highness, and this is my little sister, Sky Shimmer."

The little filly stood up and hugged the princess' leg "Thank you so much, Princess Luna."

"S-Sky, that's Princess Luna!" scolded the pegasus the filly, but the princess only nudged her motherly on the head. "It is alright, little one. Your sister is healed." A slight glow surrounded the little filly now as well, it was all Princess Luna could do for the two sisters, as she felt the darkness already growing inside her again.

"Thank you so much, Princess Luna, thank you so much." The filly's voice sounded much more energetic, now that her own wounds had been healed. Dawn Shimmer tried to stand up, but was still weakened and struggled, until magic washed around her body and helped her on her hooves.

"Thank you, your Highness." Dawn Shimmer bowed deeply.

"Dawn Shimmer, Sky Shimmer, I fear this place is no longer safe, it would be best, if the two of you ran away as far as you can." She felt the filly release her leg.

"Aren't you going to come with us, Princess Luna?" The large, yellow eyes of the filly were almost enough to sway the princess, but she couldn't risk it and her decision had been made. "I am sorry, Sky Shimmer, but there is still something I am required to do." Sky Shimmer frowned, but as Dawn Shimmer dragged her onto her back she started to smile again, happy to be reunited with her sister.

"If you head south, you will find a small group of earth ponies, I am sure they will welcome you."

Dawn Shimmer looked back at the princess, "Princess Luna, your Highness, thank you, for everything."

"Please, be careful, my winged subjects." The two pegasi looked at her one more time, before they flew away, to the safety of the earth ponies.

"They left you, like everyone else left you." The voice came from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. It was her own voice or at least something sounding like her own voice. "But they are together again. I am sorry Celestia, I wasn't strong enough. But I will make this right somehow."

"No, you won't, because I will rule forever." Luna knew, this was the last time she would be able to control her own actions for a long time, but it was worth it, she was able to save two lost ponies, even if she couldn't save herself.

The transformation began anew, her coat started to tickle, and her mane began to whirl around her, clinging to her. She felt weaker and weaker, as a stronger being replaced her. A darker being, whose only emotions were hate, anger and jealousy.

She looked after the two pegasus ponies that had escaped her wrath. She decided they were not worth the trouble of hunting them down, spread her wings and flew back to her throne room.

The throne room was beautiful, making her forget the little ponies for a moment, enjoying her own creation. The sides of the hall were lined with mirrors, in which she could see her marvelous reflection. While walking through the large hall she suddenly noticed something strange in one of the mirrors.

It didn't show her reflection. It showed that weak, powerless princess. "So you still exist, I thought I had destroyed you this time for sure." The mirror did not answer, it just looked at her, with sad, sorrowful eyes. "You can look at me all you want, I am beautiful after all, but do not think you will be able to overpower me again." with a glow of her horn, the mirror broke into many little pieces and fell on the floor. "That should take care of her." The pitch-black mare thought to herself as she walked along, but suddenly every single mirror in the hall dared to reflect the princess, that no longer was.

A flash of magical light enveloped the whole castle Canterlot and as it vanished, every single mirror in the throne room had shattered and turned to dust.

A pitch-black mare wandered through the ruins of what was once the beautiful capital of ponykind. She didn't even remember the last assault of the ponies anymore, but tried to still hate them, for spurning the moon and the night, her creation, but so much time had gone by she was unable to even remember them correctly.

She hated herself now for what she had done, but she wouldn't allow the princess to take over, it was the last thing that kept her strong. But the princess was growing even stronger. She had seen the last of her as her reflection in a frozen lake, now only a large crater. She had decided long ago to bury her as deep inside of her as possible. But she had seen everything else in the world come to an end and all the hate and rage, that had kept her alive and in power, were now just a facade. As she looked around, she suddenly realized where she had returned to.

The ruins of Canterlot had survived although the rest of the world was no more. Out of nostalgia she slowly descended and landed in front of the great hall. This is where she had her first victory, defeating her elder sister, absorbing her powers and banishing her inside the crystal she wore around her neck. Suddenly there was a noise of something hitting the ground and shattering. There it was again. And again.

Finally she realized to her horror it were her own tears, that froze as soon as they fell from her cheeks and shattered on the ground. "Your time is over, Night Mare Moon." it was a voice, that hadn't been heard for hundreds of years. "All those years, you lived on through anger and pain and jealousy, but now, the only thing you have left to hate is yourself." The black mare couldn't stop the tears running from her eyes and with every tear, her pitch-black coat lightened, turning slowly into the deep blue of the nightly sky.

"No, I refuse to be defeated by you, you are weak and powerless, while I am the queen of the eternal night!" The voice of Night Mare Moon, that a long time ago frightened every pony, was now filled with fear for the first time. Her bright blue, starlit mane began to flow with a nonexistent wind. The silvery ornaments adorning her, that hadn't changed for over one thousand years, began to show sings of age, their shine diminishing. They fell from her, tarnished and slowly turned to dust.

All her hate, anger, jealousy, wrath and rage had been used up and nothing was left from which she could draw her power. As the last part of her armor fell from her body, she was Night Mare Moon no more. She was once again Princess Luna. Older, wiser, and finally the true Princess Luna again.

The only thing still adorning her was a small, red crystal dangling around her neck. She held it up to her eyes with her magic and looked inside.

The face of her sister looked back. She hadn't aged a single day, her pink mane flowing around her face. "I guess, I am the older one now, my dear sister." Princess Luna couldn't stop the tears still running down her face. After all she did, after everything that happened, her sister still looked at her with love in her eyes. She thought about how she could release her. "I promise, I will make this right, sister. I promise." Her words were barely more than a whisper, but Princess Celestia smiled from inside her prison. Princess Luna stepped outside into the eternal night she had created as Night Mare Moon.

With a soft glow of her horn, the moon started to move, making way for the first sunrise Equestria saw for more than thousand years. The crystal around her neck sparkled in the dim light of the dawn. Princess Luna looked around, when she spotted a giant rock that was large enough, she began to work her magic. The boulder began to shake and stir and suddenly it exploded, smaller rocks landing nearby. As the dust settled a statue of Princess Celestia stood where the boulder once was. She placed the prison of her sister gently in front of it and stepped back.

"I am sorry, Sister, I will not be able to see your return, but your prison is only as eternal as the night and you will be free soon. I will leave your power in this statue, so you can retrieve it when you are free." As she spoke these words, she let the powers she had taken from her sister flow into the rock, it began to glow golden like the sun. "If my plan succeeds, you will not need it, but if I fail, please, don't let her win, don't let me win, and save this world." Her sister hammered silently against the walls of her prison, while tears ran down her cheeks. But Princess Luna had made up her mind, she would save this world and spare her sister over a thousand years of imprisonment at any cost.

She looked around, picked up six rock fragments with magic and left, but not before casting a strong protective spell over the statue and her sister, which left a small blue hue in the air. It was the only thing left, she could do.

She returned to the throne room. In all the years as Night Mare Moon she had learned all of her weaknesses.

Kindness, that could reach her heart, although it was shrouded in darkness.

Laughter, to battle the fear she invoked in the hearts of ponies.

Generosity, even in the face of her false promises.

Honesty, to pierce through her deceptions.

Loyalty, that would withstand all her temptations.

She concentrated her magic on the five stones and turned them into perfect orbs. And only after she examined every single orb, she began her work. Her horn started to glow so bright, it flooded the whole throne room with a soft blue light. Tears started to run over her face as she knew what she had to sacrifice, but she also knew it was the only way she could achieve her goal.

She poured all her fond memories of her sister's kindness into the first.

The next orb was filled with the all the memories, she and her sister had have fun and laughed together.

For the third, she concentrated on the times, her sister had shown true generosity over the years.

The fourth orb received all the memories of the honest love her sister and she had shared.

Into the fifth orb, she poured her memories of Celestia's loyalty, even after a thousand years of imprisonment by her doing.

And the last orb was filled with all the remaining memories of her sister, it would serve as the focus to the magic. As she finished, she collapsed completely exhausted and with a strange feeling of loss, although she couldn't remember what was lost.

The first part of her plan had worked, the overwhelming magical powers of the six orbs before her were astonishing. But now would come the most complicated and dangerous part. She let the orbs hover around her and stepped outside, where a small statue caught her eye. It depicted a small filly, but with wings and a horn, just like herself. She didn't know where it came from, but just seeing it, filled her heart with new courage to execute her plan. She cleared her mind with a deep breath, opened her large wings and took off. The six magical orbs still hovering around her, circling around her. She was about to try something, that had never been tried before. It was magic beyond the nature, beyond magic, maybe even beyond existence. But she had to try. She flew higher than ever before and only stopped, when even her magic didn't allow her to go further.

She looked around one last time. The world beneath her was in ruins, everything was covered in deep snow, from an eternal night, that had ended only recently.

There was no life, no color, nothing. The sun in the sky only a small promise of change, hopefully it was enough. She closed her eyes, as she couldn't bear the sight anymore. She took another deep breath and then concentrated. Her horn began to glow. Then sparks started to fly off of it's tip. Bolts of magic coursed from her horn to the orbs and from one orb to another, connecting the six orbs and focusing the magic on herself.

It took even more energy than she had thought as she forced her will upon the flow of time itself. Her body strained to keep up the magic surrounding her, she knew how dangerous it was, to let so much magic accumulate, as even she had problems to keep track of all this magical energy.

But it was the only way she could think of, and if it would cost her life, so be it.

More and more magic gathered around her, creating a tear in existence itself. And then everything stopped. The pain she had felt from the massive amount of magic was gone and her first thought was that she had failed, but then she looked around, everything seemed different.

But only when she saw the sun slowly descent and the moon rise again, her hopes soared high and she looked down upon Equestria and searching for the ruins of Canterlot. She could see that something was happening inside, but it was much too far away to make out any details until she saw a large, black mare in the ruins. Everything was being undone as time ran backwards. Princess Luna couldn't believe it, although she had thought of it herself. "Night Mare Moon, your evil will never be unleashed unto ponykind."

She infused even more magic into the orbs, increasing the reversed flow of time.

It was a clear, silent night in which she managed to align herself to the normal flow of time again, a lot further in the past than she originally intended. She found herself in a strangely familiar forest, the mountain on which's side Canterlot would stand in the future was only bare rock.

The six orbs hovering around her, she made her way through the forest, only stopping when she suddenly felt the presence of another being. With a small moment of concentration she located the other being in a small clearing.

It was a filly, a white horn parted her pink, flowing mane and feathered wings were pressed against her sides, to keep her warm in the cold air of the night. The dark Mare tried to remember if she had met her before, but all of her memories besides her mission were vague at best, if not lost completely.

The filly had a great aura about her, of magic, but also of warmth and friendliness. Before she could step into the clearing and make herself known to the filly, a searing pain shot through her head, causing her and the six orbs to fall to fall to the ground. Unsure what had happened, she pushed herself up and steadied herself with magic. She made her way through the bushes and sat down on the soft grass in the clearing. The filly was standing in front of her, a shocked expression on her face as she looked at her.

"I am sorry, my little filly. I did not mean to startle you." Her voice sounded weaker than she wanted to, but it was all she managed for now.

"A-Are you hurt?" The filly was looking at her concerned.

"Do not worry about me. But tell me, my little filly, what is your name?" The filly took a careful step towards the dark mare.

"My name is Celestia. Who are you? Are you sure you don't need any help?" The filly's warm voice made the dark mare feel safe and even happy.

"I am sorry, Celestia, but I have seem to have some trouble to remember my own name. But there is something that you can help me with." The filly looked more curious than concerned now

"In the future a great menace will come to threaten Ponykind and unless someone will protect them, doom will befall them." The filly took a step backwards.

"What are you talking about? What doom? We have to do something!"

The dark mare pushed herself up on her legs, glad the filly was willing to save the ponies.

"I have something, that will be able to stop the chaos that will rise." With strain she managed to walk over to the bushes she had come through before and with her last strength she summoned the six stone orbs and let them hover into the clearing.

"These magical elements, will be able to ..." Before she could finish her sentence the searing pain was back, even stronger than the first time.

"What happened? Are you in pain?" The filly's helped the dark mare to concentrate on the task and ignore the pain.

"Do not worry about me. You will have to save the ponies, I do not think I will be able to linger here." A weak light started to emanate from the dark mare's horn and enveloped her completely.

"Wait, what do you mean? I still have so many questions. Who are you? What is this menace you spoke of? How will these Stones help me? Where are you going?" The light surrounding the dark mare started to change, growing first weaker and then stronger again, before growing weaker again.

"Do not worry, Celestia. I believe in you." With that, the light enveloped her one last time. Any trace of the dark mare had vanished as well, the only proof that the strange encounter had not just been a dream, were the six stone orbs, lying in the grass.

"Where are you? What is this Menace you spoke of?" Celestia's yells echoed through the forest.

"Sister?" Her little sister's voice came from above and as she looked up, her sister was just slowly descending into the clearing. "Were you talking to someone? Did something happen?" Her sister landed in front of her and looked at her concerned.

"No, I am alright, Luna."


End file.
